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The relationship between housing and the welfare state is a heavily researched topic in international comparative housing research. This exploratory paper provides a historical overview of the academic debate. For a long time, the discussion primarily focused on the degree and the nature of government intervention within the field of housing....

The Dutch model of social rental housing is often seen as a good practice for other European coun-tries. This is due to the fact that the Dutch social rental sector has a large size, offers dwellings of a relatively good quality and functions without receiving substantial subsidies. However, current poli-cies, both at the European and the...

Current data from South European countries, especially Malta, indicates the existence of some contradictory forces in the housing market that defy the law of supply and demand and require explanation. In a ‘normal’ housing market, it can be expected that a high dwelling vacancy rate would help keep down the price of housing. In Malta, however,...

The size of the private rented housing sector (PRS) varies markedly between coun-tries. The paper explores the role of policy in supporting the PRS with emphasis on the evidence from France, Germany, the UK and the USA. The definition and meas-urement of the size of the sector in each country is considered. A key issue that is explored is the...

The paper considers the role of the private rented sector in supplying housing that can be defined as social housing. It will do this by considering policy initiatives in Germany, France, the USA and England that use privately owned housing to meet social needs. The operation of these initiatives will be compared. The allocation and rent...

The conventional model of social housing in Spain is a peculiarity within European housing policy, in that it is almost entirely owner-occupied. Subsidized owneroccupancy housing maintains the status of social housing for a set number of years, during which time it cannot be sold against market prices. After that period, its status changes, and...

The book explores the relationship between the characteristics of the welfare state and the characteristics of the housing system (housing policies, housing outcomes and housing market developments) in different European countries. It consists of a theoretical framework, six published articles and a concluding chapter. All six articles use the...

The book explores the relationship between the characteristics of the welfare state and the characteristics of the housing system (housing policies, housing outcomes and housing market developments) in different European countries. It consists of a theoretical framework, six published articles and a concluding chapter. All six articles use the...

Every few years the planning agencies in the Netherlands draw up a prognosis for the future housing needs on the basis of economic and demographic scenarios. It is our contention that, in applying this approach, the agencies neglect to take sufficient account of the influence of cultural dynamics. A recent recommendatory report by the Dutch...

The organisation of the rental market varies from country to country. Kemeny draws a distinction between societies with an integrated rental system (relatively minor differences between the non-profi t and the profi t rental sectors) and societies with a dualist rental system (relatively major differences between the non-profi t and the profi t...

The once clear demarcation of funding and roles of the social and market rental sectors seems to have become blurred in a number of European countries. Social renting is no longer provided only by non-profit organisations. The extent to which a gap can be identified between the social and market rental sectors in six countries in north-west...